CCW/CONF.V/PC/CRP.1

Advanced Version / 30 September 2016
Original: English

Geneva, 31 August - 2 September 2016

Item 11 of the provisional agenda

Report of the Preparatory Committeeto the Review Conference

Final Report of the Preparatory Committee

  1. Introduction

1.The Fourth Review Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW) agreed that “review conferences should continue to be held on a regular basis”, as contained in paragraph 3 of the review of Article 8 of the Convention as stipulated in its final document CCW/CONF.IV/4/Add.1.

2.By resolution 70/71, adopted without a vote on 7 December 2015, the General Assembly inter alia, requested the Secretary-General to render the necessary assistance and to provide such services as may be required for the conferences.

3.The 2015 Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention decided, as contained in paragraph 38(f) of its final document CCW/MSP/2015/9, that the Fifth Review Conference would be held from 12 to 16 December 2016 in Geneva, and in paragraph 38(c) that its Preparatory Committee would be held from 31 August to 2 September 2016 in Geneva under the responsibility of the President-designate of the Fifth Review Conference, Ambassador TehminaJanjua of Pakistan.

II.Organization of the Preparatory Committee

4.In accordance with these decisions, the Preparatory Committee convened and held six meetings in Geneva from 31 August to 2 September 2016. The Committee was opened by Ms. Samantha K. Jayasuriyaof Sri Lanka as representative of the Chairperson of the 2015 Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention.

5.At its first meeting, the Preparatory Committee elected Ambassador TehminaJanjuaof Pakistan as Chairperson of the Preparatory Committee.

6.Ms. Hine-Wai Loose, Political Affairs Officer, CCW Implementation Support Unit, served as Secretary of the Preparatory Committee. Mr. BantanNugroho, Head of the CCW Implementation Support Unit, Ms. NadiyaDzyubinska and Ms. IsabellePorcu-Cartier, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), Geneva Branch, and Mr. Charlie Rutter, UNODA intern, served in the Secretariat of the Committee.

7.The following High Contracting Parties to the Convention participated in the work of the Committee: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holy See, Hungary, India, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Palestine, Panama, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) and Zambia.

8.The following signatory States participated in the work of the Committee: Egypt, Sudan and Viet Nam.

9.The following observer States participated in the work of the Committee: Bhutan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Libya, Mozambique, Myanmar, Thailand, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

10.The representatives of the following organizations participated in the work of the Committee: European Union, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

11.The following non-governmental organizations and entities participated in the work of the Committee: Human Rights Watch, Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Walther-Schücking-InstitutfürInternationalesRecht, and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

III.Work of the Preparatory Committee

12.The Preparatory Committee adopted its agenda (CCW/CONF.V/PC/1), and programme of work (CCW/CONF.V/PC/2), and confirmed the Rules of Procedure (CCW/CONF.IV/2).

13.The following delegations participated in the general exchange of views: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Zambia, UNMASon behalf of the United Nations Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action, European Union, ICRC and Human Rights Watch.

14.The Committee addressed"Preparations for Main Committee I" under the responsibility of Ambassador Matthew Rowland of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Under this agenda item, the following delegations participated in the discussion:Belarus Belgium Brazil,Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China,Colombia, Cuba, Finland,France,Germany, India,Ireland, Israel, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Sweden,Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, GICHD, ICRC and Human Rights Watch.

15.The Committee addressed the "Preparations for Main Committee II" under the responsibility of the Chairperson of the Committee. The Chairperson of the 2016 informal Meeting of Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), Ambassador Michael Biontino of Germany, presented a preliminary report of the meeting. Under this agenda item, the following delegations participated in the discussion:Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, France, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, ICRC and Human Rights Watch.

16.The Committee heard a presentation by Mr. Hans G. Baritt, Chief of the Financial Resources Management Service of the United Nations Office at Geneva on the outstanding financial arrears under the CCW and the implications of UMOJA for future CCW activities. The Committee encouraged High Contracting Parties and observer States to pay their assessed contributions without delay.

17.The Committee considered the issue of the Summary Recordsunder the agenda item on "Any other business".

IV.Organization of the Fifth Review Conference

18.The Preparatory Committee endorsed the Provisional Agenda of the Fifth Review Conference as recommended by the 2015 Meeting of High Contracting Parties to the Convention as contained in annex I of itsfinal report (CCW/MSP/2015/9).

19.The Preparatory Committee agreed to recommend the Provisional Programme of Work of the Fifth Review Conference as contained in CCW/CONF.V/PC/WP.1

20.The Preparatory Committee agreed to recommend as the Draft Rules of Procedure of the Fifth Review Conference the rules of Procedures of the Fourth Review Conference, as contained in document CCW/CONF.IV/2.

21.The Preparatory Committee agreed to recommend to the Fifth Review Conference 10 Vice-Presidents from the following High Contracting Parties: Algeria, Bulgaria, China, Ecuador, Estonia, Italy, Nicaragua, Poland, Switzerland and United States of America.

22.The Preparatory Committee agreed to recommend to the Fifth Review Conference the following nominations as officeholders:

Committees
Main Committee I / Chairperson / Ambassador Matthew Rowland (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
Vice-Chairperson / Ambassador Mr. JānisKārkliņš(Latvia)
Main Committee II / Chairperson / Ambassador Tudor Ulianovschi (Republic of Moldova)
Vice-Chairperson / Ambassador Alice Guitton (France)
Drafting Committee / Chairperson / Ambassador TehminaJanjua (Pakistan)
Vice-Chairperson / Ambassador Julio Herraiz (Spain)
Credentials Committee / Chairperson / Ms. Maya Yaron (Israel)
Vice-Chairperson / Ms. Grisselle Rodriguez (Panama)
Members / Mr. IoannisMichelogiannakis (Greece)
Ms. JoruneMartinaviciute (Lithuania)
Mr. Raphael Hermoso (Philippines)

23.The Preparatory Committee agreed to recommend Ms. Mary Soliman, Acting Director of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, Geneva Branch, as the Provisional Secretary General of the Fifth Review Conference.

V.Documentation

24.All documents of the Preparatory Committee are available on the CCW website at and through the United Nations Official Document System (ODS), at

VI.Adoption of the Final Report

25.At its final meeting on 2 September 2016, the Preparatory Committee adopted its final report as contained in CCW/CONF.V/PC/CRP.1, as orally amended, which is being issued as document CCWCONF.V/PC/xxx.

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